NASCAR changed, not driver commitments

Unlike many professional athletes of his era, Jimmie Johnson is a student of his sport.

He knows NASCAR’s past as well as its present.

That background came into play earlier this week during the five-time NASCAR champion’s annual visit to his East County roots.

A day after last Sunday’s race in Michigan, Johnson, his wife Chandra and two-year-old daughter flew to Southern California.

In the span of 76 hours, the driver visited with friends in the area, dedicated a project his foundation completed at Chase Elementary School in El Cajon, spent a morning at his Chevrolet dealership in Kearny Mesa, hosted a dinner and silent auction in Den Mar and played in his annual golf tournament.

Then it was back on the plane late Thursday. This time, the destination was Sonoma and Sunday’s first road race of the season. Johnson is scheduled to practice and qualify Friday.

NASCAR’s Sprint Cup drivers have some of the most demanding schedules in sports. Thirty-six road trips a year. And every week on the road includes commitments away from the track.

In between his many local stops, Johnson was asked if, given the demands on the modern driver – in addition to the physical conditioning programs now commonplace in racing – a driver can still be competitive into their 50s the way that the legends were.

A.J. Foyt was 59 when he retired. Richard Petty was 55. Harry Gant was 54 and holds the record as the oldest NASCAR winner at 52. Bobby Allison was 50. Cale Yarborough retired just before his 50th birthday.

As an answer, Johnson offered two words: “Mark Martin.”

Then he elaborated. The demands might be different now than before, but they are no more demanding.

“I think the time we put in today is similar to what the legends put in,” said Johnson. “It’s just used in different ways.

“People look at what we do and ask ‘How do you do that?’ I look at how the drivers of long ago operated and I ask ‘How’d they do it.’”

Yes, drivers today are more physically fit than their predecessors. And there seem to me more young drivers every year looking for fewer jobs.

“But are we more committed?” asked Johnson. “Those drivers were committed. And they had to keep racing into their late 40s and 50s. Racing was a lifestyle for them. The money wasn’t as big.

“We fly to distant races. Many of the greats towed their own cars between races. And they raced, two, three, four times a week. I remember Bobby Allison racing at a track in San Diego a day or two before a NASCAR race at Riverside. He drove down here after qualifying.

“Those guys spent long hours on the road getting to more races. They also spent more time physically working on their cars. What’s changed is the sport and how we spend our commitment.

“Today, keeping up with the technology changes is the key to staying competitive. Thirty and 40 years ago, the rate of change in the cars was much slower. A lot of the work with the cars was physically hands on for the driver and the crew.

“Today, everyone is into their computers. You have to be able to change and adjust as the technology changes. To me, that’s the biggest change.”

Which is what makes the 54-year-old Martin a class of one.

The 37-year-old Johnson entered the Sprint Cup 12 years ago about the same time advanced technology started coming into the sport. He is parts old-school driver and new-era computer geek. Martin entered the decade before computers.

“Mark is amazing,” said Johnson. “He crossed eras without missing a beat. But he was also a pioneer. He introduced the sport and drivers to the physical training programs that are everywhere today.”

This is the sixth anniversary of the Jimmie Johnson Foundation’s work in San Diego’s East County. After funding four Habitat for Humanity Homes, Johnson teamed with sponsor Lowe’s Toolbox for Education Champions Grants. Johnson’s foundation has donated more than $2.2 million in San Diego County with $1.34 million of the amount benefitting schools in the county.